LEAN ON, LEAN NOT

Related image  As I was reading this morning in Isaiah, I came to a promise, which I know, but I can become a practicing atheist in application of the truth at times.  "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast (leans or props) because he trusts in You.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."  Isaiah 26:3-4.  Sometimes, when circumstances press hard, I am sadly appalled on what I have a tendency to lean.  I usually have to begin pushing aside all the trash heap of what I have tried to lean on and has already failed me : ability, intelligence, my own understanding, possessions, emotions, insecurities, other humans...can be an exhaustive list.

I wished that I could learn ONCE AND FOR ALL, but Father God has a way of allowing circumstances to reveal to me whether I have leaned that truth or not.  I focus on several words in the promise:  
  • keep:  guard, watch
  • steadfast: LEAN UPON
  • perfect peace: peace peace, the repetition shows intensity shalom shalom
  • trust" confidence
Who, by the way is keeping me?  YOU, reference to God Himself.  How I know who or what is keeping me is the peace I have or don't have! One would think at my age, I would know and have it learned well.  At times, He is my first line of offense, but with the length of the circumstance, I weary and might just get sloppy in my leaning and learning!      
I guess the Holy Spirit needs to put the truth, the promise, on the lowest shelf so that I can feed, ingest, and practice for today.  "Lord, I will not lean on my own understanding, I will acknowledge You
Proverbs 3:5-6.  I will  lean my mind on YOU for You are the Rock Eternal who does NOT move when the press comes my way and my confidence is in YOU."  I remind you, growing in the Lord is a process, no short-cuts, and talk is cheap!  Ever learning!  In process!  #IHAVETHREESONS.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THOSE SEEING CAN BECOME BLIND

Image
John 9 is the story of the healing of the blind beggar.  Not only is it a marvelous story of the miraculous healing of the man as he is given his sight, but a sad story of the religious of whom Jesus said, "For judgment, I have come into this world, so that the blind will see, and those who see will become blind ." The religious have seen the miracle, even though it has taken place on a Sabbath, and they interview the man and his parents for their stories and understanding. I find it so thrilling that the healed man speaks so articulately and logically with the religious in their "interview" with him.  His statement, " Now that is remarkable!  You don't know where HE comes from, yet HE opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners.  He listens to the godly man who does His will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." What truth he has spoken to the religious wh...
Read more

REHEARSALS

Image
  I wonder how much time do I give to rehearsing God's goodness and how He has intervened in my life to "save" me from myself?  How alike the Israelites I can be, complaining about what goes wrong, how it affects me, and what I lack.  As a Christ follower, I have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to give me remembrance NOT of my complaining and grumbling, but of a recall of God's faithfulness to me.  It is recorded in Psalms 78 and 106 that " They forgot what He had done, the wonder He had shown them", "They did not remember His power--the day He redeemed them from the oppressor...", "They did not remember Your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.", "But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel.", and "They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt...". Contrast with me, God's remembrance: Ps. 106:44-46, "But He took note of their distress...
Read more

A DONKEY SPEAKS!

Image
    Numbers has been full of repetitive accounts of the Israelites and their disobedience.  They have now made several laps around Mt. Sinai, many of the original people have died off, or been killed for their arrogant and presumptuous actions against the LORD, Moses, and Aaron. The overriding truth of the accounts is the merciful grace of the LORD! Moses is in his last days of leadership.  The forty years are coming to an end and they are moving toward a second attempt to enter the Promise Land.  They have been victorious in taking land, and they are moving further into the interior of the land of Moab.  The king and the residents of Moab are "filled with dread because of the Israelites.  The king of Moab, Balak, sends messages to Balaam, who is a sorcerer and is able to to place curses or blessings on others.  King Balak wants to know how to defeat "this horde" that is licking up everything around them.  Of course, he is desirous th...
Read more